Liver Cancer

Many of the major newspapers are reporting that Steve Jobs, the chief executive of Apple Inc, received a liver transplant about two months ago. There is no confirmation of the report by either Jobs or Apple.

It is known that Jobs, 53, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer five years ago. In January Steve Jobs handed the day-to-day reins to Tim Cook. At that time, he said he would be away from the job until the end of June.

Ohio State University cancer researchers have used computational and genomic methods to identify possible anti-cancer agents that may block a particular kind of tumor behavior. The agents target multiple genes associated with that behavior at one time.

The researchers wanted to find agents that might reverse the gene changes associated with invasive liver cancer and perhaps stop liver tumors from spreading in the body. Such therapy could greatly improve patient survival, the researchers say.

The findings are published online in the journal Cancer.

Using tiny chemotherapy-soaked beads to choke off and kill cancerous liver tumors is becoming more successful, according to research being presented at the 21st annual International Symposium on Endovascular Therapy (ISET).

Researchers are poised to unlock the genetic secrets stored in hundreds of thousands of cancer biopsy samples that are in long-term storage and previously thought to be useless for modern genetic research. With the aid of a new technique developed by Howard Hughes Medical Institute researchers, scientists can now reconstruct thousands of genes that are "shredded" into tiny pieces when tissue samples are treated with a chemical fixative and stored in wax - a protocol commonly used to preserve tissue samples indefinitely.

Patients with liver cancer can become viable candidates for transplantation if their tumors respond to treatment, a new study suggests. This report is in the September issue of Hepatology, a journal published by John Wiley & Sons on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD). The article is available online at Wiley Interscience (www.interscience.wiley.com).

Infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) causes liver cancer in some individuals, but not all strains of the virus are associated with the same degree of risk. If confirmed, the newly reported data could help target chemoprevention strategies in the future.

Nexavar becomes the latest and newest approved treatment for liver cancer in China. Nexavar is made by Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals and Onyx Pharmaceuticals and received approval by China's State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) for liver cancer treatment.

Nexavar drug is found to improve survival rates in liver cancer patients.

A joint team of researchers from Hospital Clinic of Barcelona and Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) Group has examined 602 advanced liver cancer patients who were divided into two groups: one group was taking Nexavar - sorafenib, the second group was taking a placebo.